Personalized search widgets for customized user interface

ABSTRACT

A set of personalized search widgets for providing a customized user interface are provided. Among the personalized search widgets include a related searches menu to depict related search terms according to popularity and type. A query builder for explicitly including or excluding particular terms from the query may be provided. The search widgets may further include a history of past searches received from a user, a selection of categories to be searched, and one or more category suggestions. Some widgets associated with sellers allow a user to filter results according to a trusted seller status of the seller or the identity of the seller, and provide to the user a tag cloud including feedback about the seller. The results of a search may be presented in a spreadsheet style format.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/348,598, filed May 26, 2010 and entitled“Personalized Search Widgets for Customized User Interface,” which isincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates generally to the technical field of datamanagement and, in one specific example, to personalized search widgets.

BACKGROUND

In online publication systems, a user may search for listings based, forexample, on one or more keywords. The search system may then providesearch results in a ranked list.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation inthe figures of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a first illustration of a sample search results page accordingto some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a second illustration of a sample search results pageaccording to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a third illustration of a sample search results page accordingto some embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting a publication system according tosome embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a network diagram depicting a client-server system, withinwhich one example embodiment may be deployed.

FIG. 6 shows a diagrammatic representation of machine in the exampleform of a computer system within which a set of instructions, forcausing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, may be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example methods and systems to provide personalized search widgets aredescribed. In the following description, for purposes of explanation,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of example embodiments. It will be evident, however, toone skilled in the art that the present invention may be practicedwithout these specific details. In general, well-known instructioninstances, protocols, structures, and techniques have not been shown indetail.

As used herein, the term “or” may be construed in either an inclusive orexclusive sense. Additionally, although various example embodimentsdiscussed below focus on a network-based publication environment, theembodiments are given merely for clarity in disclosure. Thus, any typeof electronic publication, electronic commerce, or electronic businesssystem and method, including various system architectures, may employvarious embodiments of the system and method described herein and beconsidered as being within a scope of example embodiments. Each of avariety of example embodiments is discussed in detail below.

In an online publication system, the personalized search widgetscomprise a collection of customizable search widgets from which a usercan select to have displayed on a search user interface. The widgets canbe used by the user to select terms that the user believes are mostpertinent or relevant to his or her search. The search may be directedto information published on the Internet, or performed in an onlinemarketplace or a social network.

The personalized search widgets may be implemented using one or moreapplication programming interfaces (APIs) that request information fromthe online publication system to present a set of search results to theuser. At least because multiple APIs are used to present the searchresults, the search results may be presented using a “spreadsheetformat.” In the spreadsheet format, the user is able to dictate whichcolumns are shown and how the columns are sorted. The columns availablefor display to the user correspond to a characteristic of the listingsuch as image, item title, price, number of bids, time remaining in anauction or fixed price sale, seller feedback score, percent positivefeedback, shipping costs, etc. Via a user interface, the user is able toselect a subset of those columns to display in a second user interfaceincluding one or more search results that are provided to the user.Additionally, the user may be able to reorder or arrange the columns. Insome instances, the user is allowed to select one or more columns forsorting or re-ordering the search results.

The personalized search widgets may, additionally or alternatively,provide additional assistance to a user in narrowing or refining asearch. For example, the search widgets may provide related searchesthat are color-coded according to whether the related search is arefinement of the submitted search (e.g., directed to a subset of theprovided search results) or whether the related search is alternative tothe submitted search in some way (e.g., the search may be for similarproducts, accessories for a searched product, different brands, or thelike). The related searches may be presented in varying font sizesbased, for example, on the relative popularity of the related searches.

The personalized search widgets may additionally include features thatallow the user to restrict the results shown based on category, seller,price, or the like. FIGS. 1-3 include a description of the abovefeatures, in no particular order, each to be discussed in turn. Whilethe descriptions of FIGS. 1-3 may vary in the combination of featuresprovided to the user, it is to be understood that various combinationsof features may be provided in any given embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a first illustration of a sample search results page 100according to some embodiments. The sample search results page isdisplayed to a user via a device associated with the user. In the searchresults of FIG. 1, the user has entered the search phrase “zune player”in a search box 102. The sample search results page includes a drop downcategory menu 104 to allow a user to select one or more categories ofproducts (e.g., autos, electronics, clothing, collectibles, etc.) acrosswhich the user desires to perform the search (described further inconnection with FIG. 3). The user may access a history of the user'ssearches as well by selecting a history button 106.

Below those options, a related search interface 108 includes a selectionof related search terms displayed to the user in various font colorsand/or font sizes. The color of the font may be varied based on whetherthe particular search term is provided as an alternative search term 110(e.g., “ipod” shown in lighter gray) or a refinement 112 of the searchterms submitted by the user (e.g., “zune mp3 player” search term shownin black). Examples of related searches that refine the search phrase“zune player” may include “zune media player”, “zune mp3 player”,“zune”, and “player” as shown. Example of related searches that arealternative search terms to the search phrase “zune player” include“Microsoft zune”, “mp3 players”, “ipod”, and “zune 8gb” as shown.

In example embodiments, the font size for each of these related searchesmay be varied according to a relative popularity of the searches. Therelated searches appearing in larger fonts may be more popular than therelated searches appearing in smaller fonts. For example, the relatedsearch term 110 “ipod” is displayed in a larger font size than therelated search term 112 “zune media player,” indicating that the relatedsearch term 110 “ipod” is more popular than the related search term 112“zune media player.”

Also shown in FIG. 1 is the spreadsheet format of the search results.The spreadsheet format allows user to show additional columns or to hidea shown column using a “View columns” link 114 and as furtherillustrated in FIG. 3. The spreadsheet format generally includes two ormore columns. As depicted, the columns include sortable columns (e.g.,price) and an unsortable column (e.g., item image). The sortable columnsare identifiable as such by a sorting option 116 and include “ItemTitle,” “Price,” “Bids” (i.e., number of bids), “Time Left” (i.e., timeremaining in an auction or fixed price sale), “Seller,” “Feedback (Fdbk)Score,” and “Positive Fdbk” (as a percent of feedback). In anon-marketplace environment, the sortable columns may include articletitle, data of publication, author, and rating.

In the item title, the spreadsheet format further provides an additionalsimilar items link 118 in at least a portion of the search results to“view similar items.” Upon selecting the link 118, a user may be shown apage depicting one or more listings of items for sale that are similarto the item described by the listing shown in the search results.

The spreadsheet format may include one or more options to filter thelistings shown to a user. As shown in FIG. 1, arrows 120 provided belowthe price in a particular listing may allow a user to set that item'sprice as a maximum price or as a minimum price. Upon selecting theprice, the search results are filtered to include only those listingspriced above or below the selected price.

FIG. 2 is a second illustration of a sample search results page 200displayed to the user, according to some embodiments. In the page 200shown in FIG. 2, a query builder 202 that helps a user make a submittedquery more specific is provided. The query builder 202 allows a user toexplicitly select terms to be excluded or included in the search. Theterms are divided initially into “Desirable” terms and “Not Desirable”terms based, in part, on searches submitted by other users or previouslyby the user. The user may select terms as “desirable” to include thoseterms in the query or as “not desirable” to exclude the terms from thequery. As shown, the submitted query is “bose speakers” and thedesirable terms include “cube”, “acoustimass”, “speakers”, and “bose”while the not desirable terms include “amplifier”, “cd”, “new”, and“radio”. Based on the selections by the user, a “final search phrase”214 may be generated by the system by adding or removing search terms.In some instances, a “NOT” operator may be used to exclude undesirablesearch terms.

FIG. 2 also shows a category filter 204 that suggests, to the user,category filters based on a history of past buyers. In one embodiment,the categories correspond to predefined product categories that userswho have submitted similar categories in the past have ultimatelypurchased one or more items from.

FIG. 2 further depicts features associated with the “seller” column 216of the spreadsheet format search results. The seller column 216 includesa link 206 to a “seller page” that provides additional information aboutthe seller to the user. The seller column 216 also includes filteroptions 208 to exclude a particular seller from the search results or tofilter the search results to exclusively show items for sale by thatparticular seller. A further filter 210 depicted by a “ribbon” iconallows the user to only show items (or to not show items) for sale by“Top Rated Sellers” (TRS). A third filter 212 included in the sellercolumn 216 allows the user to see a tag cloud (or other display) offeedback about the seller. The tag cloud is shown and discussed in moredetail in FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a third illustration of a sample search results page 300,according to some embodiments. Most features of FIG. 3 were previouslydiscussed in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2 and are shown in greaterdetail in FIG. 3. First, a menu 302 depicting a simultaneous selectionof more than one category in which to perform a search (as described inconnection with the category menu 104 of FIG. 1) is shown. As shown, thecategories “diapering” and “feeding” are selected by a user. Itemsassociated with either or both of these categories may be removed fromthe search results by selecting the “x” 304 shown adjacent to thecategory. To the right of the menu 302, a history of past user searches306 (as previously discussed in connection with the history button 106of FIG. 1) are depicted. The history of user searches may be based on,for example, searches within the current session, searches within themost recent predefined number of sessions, searches conducted at least athreshold number of times or with a threshold frequency, or a lastpre-defined number of searches over any number of sessions.

As a pop-up window over the spreadsheet format listings, a “view column”menu 308 is shown that allows the user to hide at least a portion of thecolumns in the spreadsheet. If one or more columns are already hidden,the menu may include an option to show the hidden column(s). Theselection of columns may appear automatically or in response to aconfirmation received from a user of a particular selection.

As described in connection with FIG. 2, a tag cloud 310 of feedbackabout the seller is also shown as a snapshot of text appearing in theseller feedback. In one embodiment, the tag cloud 310 is displayed as apop-up window or menu over the spreadsheet format listing.

It should be noted that while a plurality of pop-up windows or menus areshown in FIG. 3, not all menus may be displayed at once. For example,the history of past user searches 306 may be displayed when the historybutton 106 is selected, but the “view column” menu 308 and the tag cloud310 may not be displayed.

Further, it is noted that the components of the sample search resultspages 100, 200, and 300 (e.g., related searches, category filter,history of user searches, query builder, etc.) may be laid out indifferent ways or resized according to a user preference. In someinstances, the ability of the user to direct the lay-out and size of thecomponents is limited by the publication system (FIG. 4). Similarly, theuser may dictate the size or position of the columns in the spreadsheetformat.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting a publication system 400 accordingto some embodiments. A widget module 402 is to provide the widgets ofFIGS. 1-3 to the user device. A data access module 404 is to access theselected data from the publication system 400 and/or another systembased on selections. A user module 406 is to manage the users'preferences and past search history. A feedback module 408 is to accessand manage the information used in the tag cloud 310 of FIG. 3. Ahistory module 410 manages the past searches of a collection of users todetermine with related searches in FIG. 1. Additional or alternativeengines may also be included in the publication system 400.

FIG. 5 is a network diagram depicting a client-server system 500, withinwhich one example embodiment may be deployed. A networked system 502, inthe example forms of a network-based marketplace or publication system,provides server-side functionality, via a network 504 (e.g., theInternet or Wide Area Network (WAN)) to one or more clients. FIG. 5illustrates, for example, a web client 506 (e.g., a browser, such as theInternet Explorer browser developed by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond,Wash. State), and a programmatic client 508 executing on respectiveclient machines 510 and 512.

An Application Program Interface (API) server 514 and a web server 516are coupled to, and provide programmatic and web interfaces respectivelyto, one or more application servers 518. The application servers 518host one or more publication applications 520 and payment applications522. The application servers 518 are, in turn, shown to be coupled toone or more databases servers 524 that facilitate access to one or moredatabases 526.

The publication applications 520 may provide a number of publicationfunctions and services to users that access the networked system 502.The payment applications 522 may likewise provide a number of paymentservices and functions to users. The payment applications 522 may allowusers to accumulate value (e.g., in a commercial currency, such as theU.S. dollar, or a proprietary currency, such as “points”) in accounts,and then later to redeem the accumulated value for products (e.g., goodsor services) that are made available via the marketplace applications520. While the publication and payment applications 520 and 522 areshown in FIG. 5 to both form part of the networked system 502, it willbe appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, the paymentapplications 522 may form part of a payment service that is separate anddistinct from the networked system 502.

Further, while the system 500 shown in FIG. 5 employs a client-serverarchitecture, the present invention is of course not limited to such anarchitecture, and could equally well find application in a distributed,or peer-to-peer, architecture system, for example. The variouspublication and payment applications 520 and 522 could also beimplemented as standalone software programs, which do not necessarilyhave networking capabilities.

The web client 506 accesses the various publication and paymentapplications 520 and 522 via the web interface supported by the webserver 516. Similarly, the programmatic client 508 accesses the variousservices and functions provided by the publication and paymentapplications 520 and 522 via the programmatic interface provided by theAPI server 514. The programmatic client 508 may, for example, be aseller application (e.g., the TurboLister application developed by eBayInc., of San Jose, Calif.) to enable sellers to author and managelistings on the networked system 502 in an off-line manner, and toperform batch-mode communications between the programmatic client 508and the networked system 502.

FIG. 5 also illustrates a third party application 528, executing on athird party server machine 530, as having programmatic access to thenetworked system 502 via the programmatic interface provided by the APIserver 514. For example, the third party application 528 may, utilizinginformation retrieved from the networked system 502, support one or morefeatures or functions on a website hosted by the third party. The thirdparty website may, for example, provide one or more promotional,marketplace, or payment functions that are supported by the relevantapplications of the networked system 502.

Additionally, certain embodiments described herein may be implemented aslogic or a number of modules, engines, components, or mechanisms. Amodule, engine, logic, component, or mechanism (collectively referred toas a “module”) may be a tangible unit capable of performing certainoperations and configured or arranged in a certain manner. In certainexample embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone,client, or server computer system) or one or more components of acomputer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may beconfigured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) orfirmware (note that software and firmware can generally be usedinterchangeably herein as is known by a skilled artisan) as a modulethat operates to perform certain operations described herein.

In various embodiments, a module may be implemented mechanically orelectronically. For example, a module may comprise dedicated circuitryor logic that is permanently configured (e.g., within a special-purposeprocessor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or array) toperform certain operations. A module may also comprise programmablelogic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within a general-purposeprocessor or other programmable processor) that is temporarilyconfigured by software or firmware to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that a decision to implement a module mechanically,in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or in temporarilyconfigured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may be driven by,for example, cost, time, energy-usage, and package size considerations.

Accordingly, the term “module” should be understood to encompass atangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed,permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily configured(e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or to perform certainoperations described herein. Considering embodiments in which modules orcomponents are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of themodules or components need not be configured or instantiated at any oneinstance in time. For example, where the modules or components comprisea general-purpose processor configured using software, thegeneral-purpose processor may be configured as respective differentmodules at different times. Software may accordingly configure theprocessor to constitute a particular module at one instance of time andto constitute a different module at a different instance of time.

Modules can provide information to, and receive information from, othermodules. Accordingly, the described modules may be regarded as beingcommunicatively coupled. Where multiples of such modules existcontemporaneously, communications may be achieved through signaltransmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses) that connectthe modules. In embodiments in which multiple modules are configured orinstantiated at different times, communications between such modules maybe achieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval ofinformation in memory structures to which the multiple modules haveaccess. For example, one module may perform an operation and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further module may then, at a later time,access the memory device to retrieve and process the stored output.Modules may also initiate communications with input or output devicesand can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection of information).

FIG. 6 shows a diagrammatic representation of machine in the exampleform of a computer system 600 within which a set of instructions, forcausing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, may be executed. In alternative embodiments, themachine operates as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g.,networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine mayoperate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in server-clientnetwork environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (ordistributed) network environment. The machine may be a server computer,a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box(STB), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a webappliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable ofexecuting a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specifyactions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a singlemachine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken toinclude any collection of machines that individually or jointly executea set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more ofthe methodologies discussed herein.

The example computer system 600 includes a processor 602 (e.g., acentral processing unit (CPU) a graphics processing unit (GPU) or both),a main memory 604 and a static memory 606, which communicate with eachother via a bus 608. The computer system 600 may further include a videodisplay unit 610 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode raytube (CRT)). The computer system 600 also includes an alphanumeric inputdevice 612 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 614 (e.g., amouse), a disk drive unit 616, a signal generation device 618 (e.g., aspeaker) and a network interface device 620.

The disk drive unit 616 includes a machine-readable medium 622 on whichis stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 624)embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein. The software 624 may also reside, completely or at leastpartially, within the main memory 604 and/or within the processor 602during execution thereof by the computer system 600, the main memory 604and the processor 602 also constituting machine-readable media. Thesoftware 624 may further be transmitted or received over a network 626via the network interface device 620.

While the machine-readable medium 622 is shown in an example embodimentto be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should betaken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralizedor distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) thatstore the one or more sets of instructions. The term “machine-readablemedium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by themachine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present invention. The term “machine-readablemedium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to,solid-state memories, optical and magnetic media, and carrier wavesignals. Specific examples of machine-readable storage media includenon-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memorydevices (e.g., Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM),Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), and flashmemory devices); magnetic disks such as internal hard disks andremovable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. Inone embodiment, the machine-readable medium is a non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium.

The instructions 624 may further be transmitted or received over acommunications network 626 using a transmission medium via the networkinterface device 620 and utilizing any one of a number of well-knowntransfer protocols (e.g., HTTP). Examples of communication networksinclude a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), theInternet, mobile telephone networks, POTS networks, and wireless datanetworks (e.g., WiFi and WiMax networks). The term “transmission medium”shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by themachine, and includes digital or analog communications signals or otherintangible medium to facilitate communication of such software.

Although an overview of the inventive subject matter has been describedwith reference to specific example embodiments, various modificationsand changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from thebroader spirit and scope of embodiments of the present invention. Suchembodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein,individually or collectively, by the term “invention” merely forconvenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of thisapplication to any single invention or inventive concept if more thanone is, in fact, disclosed.

The embodiments illustrated herein are described in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed.Other embodiments may be used and derived there from, such thatstructural and logical substitutions and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. The Detailed Description,therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope ofvarious embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along withthe full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Moreover, plural instances may be provided for resources, operations, orstructures described herein as a single instance. Additionally,boundaries between various resources, operations, modules, engines, anddata stores are somewhat arbitrary, and particular operations areillustrated in a context of specific illustrative configurations. Otherallocations of functionality are envisioned and may fall within a scopeof various embodiments of the present invention. In general, structuresand functionality presented as separate resources in the exampleconfigurations may be implemented as a combined structure or resource.Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single resourcemay be implemented as separate resources. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within a scope ofembodiments of the present invention as represented by the appendedclaims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regardedin an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Thus, a method and system to provide personalized search widgets for acustomized user interface have been described. Although the presentinvention has been described with reference to specific exampleembodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changesmay be made to these embodiments without departing from the broaderspirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the specification anddrawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictivesense.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R.§1.72(b), requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quicklyascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted withthe understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit thescope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing DetailedDescription, it can be seen that various features are grouped togetherin a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure.This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the claimed embodiments require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of asingle disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are herebyincorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing onits own as a separate embodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving a search term froma device associated with a user; determining a set of related searchterms, each related search term of the set of related search terms beingrelated to the received search term; for each related search term of theset of related search terms, determining a status of the related searchterm as desirable or undesirable based on a plurality of searchespreviously submitted by the user; using one or more processors,providing data associated with the set of related search terms to thedevice, the data associated with the set of related search terms beingused by the device to display a related searches menu depicting the setof related search terms according to the status of each related searchterm of the set of related search terms as desirable or undesirable;modifying a font color of text of a first displayed related search termto a first color based on the first related search term being arefinement of the search term; modifying a font color of text of asecond displayed related search term to a second color based on thesecond related search term being an alternative of the search term; andproviding a query builder, the query builder to allow a user to modifythe desirable or undesirable status of each displayed related searchterm and to provide a final search phrase based on a subset of the setof related search terms having the desirable status.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising providing a spreadsheet format results page,the spreadsheet format results page to allow a user to show or hide oneor more columns in a spreadsheet format and to sort according to the oneor more columns.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the relatedsearches menu comprises altering the font size of a particular relatedsearch term based on the popularity of the related search term.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising providing a category suggestionadjacent to one or more search results.
 5. The method of claim 1,further comprising providing an option to filter search resultsaccording to a price associated with a particular listing of an item forsale.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing a historyof search, phrases previously received from the user.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising filtering search results based on a toprated seller status associated with a listing.
 8. The method of claim 1,further comprising providing a snapshot of text appearing in feedbackabout a seller associated with a listing.
 9. The method of claim 1,further comprising filtering search results based on a selectionreceived from the user to exclude a particular seller.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising filtering search results based on aselection received from the user to include a particular seller.
 11. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the determining the status of each relatedsearch term as desirable or undesirable is based on searches previouslysubmitted by the user in a current session.
 12. The method of claim 1wherein the determining the status of each related search term asdesirable or undesirable is based on searches previously submitted bythe user at least a threshold number of times.
 13. The method of claim 1wherein the determining the status of each related search term asdesirable or undesirable is based on searches previously submitted bythe user with at least a threshold frequency.
 14. The method of claim 1wherein the determining the status of each related search term asdesirable or undesirable is based on a predefined number of searchespreviously submitted across a plurality of sessions.
 15. A systemcomprising: a data storage associated with a publication system to storea plurality of listings in a memory; a data access module to receive asearch term from a device associated with a user; a history module to;determine a set of related search terms related to the received searchterm; and determine, for each related search term of the set of relatedsearch terms, a status of the related search term as desirable orundesirable, based on searches previously submitted by the user; thedata access module further to provide data associated with the set ofrelated search terms to the device, the data associated with the set ofrelated search terms being used by the device to display a relatedsearches menu depicting the set of related search terms according to thestatus of each related search term as desirable or undesirable; and awidget module to: provide a query builder, the query builder to allow auser to modify the desirable or undesirable status of each displayedrelated search term and to provide a final search phrase based on asubset of the set of related search terms having the desirable status;modify a font color of text of a first related search term in therelated searches menu to a first color based on the first related searchterm being a refinement of the received search term; and modify a fontcolor of text of a second related search term in the related searchesmenu to a second color based on the second related search term being analternative of the received search term.
 16. The system of claim 15,wherein the data access module is further to provide a particularlisting from the plurality of listings based on a seller associated withthe particular listing.
 17. The system of claim 15, further comprising awidget module to alter the font size of a particular related search termin the related searches menu based on the popularity of the relatedsearch term.
 18. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium havinginstructions embodied thereon, the instructions executable by a processfor performing operations comprising: receiving a search term from adevice associated with a user; determining a set of search terms relatedto the received search term; determining, for each related search termof the set of search terms, a status of the related search term asdesirable or undesirable, based on searches previously submitted by theuser; providing data associated with the set of related search terms tothe device, the data associated with the related search terms being usedby the device to display a related searches menu depicting the set ofrelated search terms according to the status of each related search termof the set of related search terms as desirable or undesirable;modifying a font color of text of a first displayed related search termto a first color based on the first related search term being arefinement of the search term; modifying a font color of text of asecond displayed related search term to a second color based on thesecond related search term being an alternative of the search term; andproviding a query builder, the query builder to allow a user to modifythe desirable or undesirable status of each related search term of theset of related search terms and to provide a final search phrase basedon a subset of the set of related search terms having the desirablestatus.